I was interested to see today how papers nationwide covered the shootings at Va. Tech. I wasn't disappointed. Pretty much everyone led with the news (an obvious choice), but the amount of play generally varied. My favorites were Bakersfield and The VP (of course).
Both of them really pushed design today, but in a very responsible and, I think, tasteful way. This tragedy is huge and their design tells you that. Their headlines ("Devastated" and "Massacre") are similar in that they don't say a whole bunch, but they really draw you in. Both pictures are well chosen, too. The BC goes with something a bit more personal: prayers; the VP, on the other hand, goes straight to the action. Either way they've caught my attention.
In terms of coverage, the most original story goes to the LA Times for their feature on how students stayed connected during the whole ordeal through networking sites and the Internet. Brilliant.
The lede stories would be interesting to examine, too. Last night, I didn't really want to print the AP story that led with "In the U.S. deadliest shooting ... " because I felt most readers would have gotten that much. Luckily late last night we got a new, better written piece that was less breaking news and better written (lots of details, personal experiences, etc.).
Also, it should be noted that the student paper at Va. Tech is doing an incredible job. Their coverage almost surpasses anything else I've seen. Even with their server down, they have this story covered from about six or seven different angles. Not to mention they have video and photos to boot. If you have the time, check them out at www.collegemedia.com. Right now their "Today's Front Page" link doesn't seem to be working, but I'm hoping they get it up and running soon. I'd like to see how they played it.
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